Ghost of Warren's Past
by BlackHart
Summary: Piper Halliwell is lonely and is not feeling very festive as December draws on. However, The Yule spirit refuses to leave Piper alone and she is visited by the spirits of Warren Witches Past, Present and Future. Please review, on HIATUS.


_**Synopsis**_

_A bonus story based off another story of mines "Trinity Vengeance." It is a "what if" story that follows Piper after the end of Trinity Vengeance and she's alive along with her sisters. I know the winter holidays are coming soon so I quickly wrote this story. This is a short story of mines, which I wrote for the holidays but i decided to post it early._

_Piper Halliwell is lonely and is not feeling very festive. Leo and the children are in heaven after Leo's ascension. Paige and Phoebe are distant after losing their men and Piper has the manor to herself. However, The Yule spirit refuses to leave Piper alone and she is visited by the spirits of Warren witches past, present and future. __Please review this story it would mean a lot to me._

_**Ghosts of Warren's past**_

Piper Halliwell flung the door of the Halliwell manor and made her way into the foyer, she threw her keys down on a nearby table. She sighed deeply.

She hated the manor, the Halliwell home felt empty and unwelcome to her, since Leo's and her sons, Wyatt and Chris had been taken from her. Phoebe and Paige were distant and hardly ever came around nowadays so it was just Piper by herself in a large house.

She could remember a time when they all lived under the same roof but those days were long gone and would never come back again. "Leo?" She called out, almost wishing her husband would appear out of thin air as if the last few months had never happened. No reply.

Sighing once more, Piper walked to the staircase and began to ascend as she remembered what she was missing so clearly – her family.

_**...**_

Piper stood be the familiar Halliwell podium looking through the Book of Shadows. It was her heritage and legacy but she had no children to give it to both her sons were absent and she couldn't help wonder what they were doing up there in the Heavens. During times of crisis all Elders were restricted from coming down from the heavens to visit earth and Piper guessed it was them same for her husband Leo, she may not see her husband again and even worst, her children for a very long time.

Piper sighed as she flicked through the tome, if the book was of any use she would have found a spell to bring back her husband and kids by now. She had no such luck and all she had left was hope. Hope that her family would be returned once this ordeal was over. She continued to flick through the withered pages of the tome until something caught her eye.

Piper frowned and slowly read the page. "Yule, a Wiccan celebration taking place on the winter solstice, celebrating the rebirth of the Great God seen as the newborn solstice sun. A sabbath full of joy and merriment. Passed down through the generations with customary traditions such as the Yule log and the hanging of holly amongst other practices." She had never come across this page in the tome and she aware that her family had not celebrated any wiccan sabbaths in months. The only practice the had taken to was Halloween after their short visit to the past on All Hallows Eve a few years ago.

Piper sighed again, it was all she seemed to do since her husband and children were away. Paige and Phoebe had their own lives to tend too and the Halliwells had become distant from each other. Both Paige and Phoebe were still grieving the loss of their own partners, Paige had changed drastically, her grief had led her down the path of vengeance. Any demon that she saw she would vanquish them in the hopes it would bring back her husband, Henry. Phoebe had diverted all her attention to writing her columns and the openings of a book to fill the empty space that Coop had left after he disappeared.It wasn't as if she had any family to celebrate the tradition with around anyway.

Piper slammed the Book of Shadows shut and not noticing the Triquetra glow for the briefest minute, as she stepped out from behind the podium ready to leave the attic. Before she could make her way to the door the attic shone with golden light, blinding the Halliwell as she brought her hands to her face to block out the blinding light.

A moment later, Piper looked in the direction of doorway and was met with a familiar face.

"Hello, Piper," The dark-haired woman greeted her with a smile.

Piper's face dropped as she saw the woman, what was she doing here? Piper finally managed to find her voice as she blurted out, the only words that came to mind. "Grams, what are you doing here?"

The infamous Penelope Halliwell strolled forward to wards her granddaughter, her dress flowing smoothly behind her as she made her approach. "I have a message for you my dear,"

Piper rolled her eyes, suspicion and curiosity creeping into the witch's mind, did the Elders really send a dead person to apologize for taking her husband?

Penelope "Grams" Halliwell smiled graciously as she clasped Piper's hands in her own, in a gesture of comfort. "Tonight, you will be visited by three spirits. I expect you to learn something from each one of them."

Piper opened her mouth to protest but found her grandmother, the woman who had raised her had given her a stern look in an effort to silence her. Piper rolled her eyes at her grandmother, before the woman in front of her took a step back.

"Be well my darling." With this the strange golden light, returned and consumed the spirit of the deceased Halliwell as the light faded. Once again, Piper Halliwell was alone.

_**...**_

Piper's eyes flickered open, something had disturbed her from her slumber. Her dark eyes scanned her surroundings as she realised she was still in the attic, although she seemed to have dozed off on Aunt Peal's couch. She rose from the couch, tugging at the creases in her blouse. The eldest Halliwell sister was so preoccupied she did not notice the stranger that stood at the attic windows with a cheery smile.

Piper sensed the change in her surroundings and turned around her hands at the ready lest she had to blow up the stranger that had disturbed her sombre dreams. Piper's body froze in recognition as she let her hands slip down to her sides in relief. Piper eyed her unexpected visitor as her pulse returned to its normal rate.

"Hello, Piper," the light-haired woman greeted her with an infectious smile. "Blessed be my daughter!"

"Melinda Warren!" Piper's mouth dropped in surprise. The ancestor who had began their line and who had spoken of the Warren prophecy stood before Piper in the flesh, as real as any person. Piper eyed her ancestor and family matriarch curiously, she knew usually that Melinda Warren only appeared when summoned or with a special purpose in mind. Her eyes fell upon the former witch's simple dress accompanied by a white laced apron and a corset. Melinda Warren was truly a woman out of her time.

"Greetings my daughter, " Melinda Warren began as she approached her descendant. "We must skip the pleasantries. There are things that you must see."

Piper opened her mouth in protest but was silenced as Melinda raised her hand before the pair. A golden glow flowed freely from her hand and engulfed the pair in serene light. Piper felt a tinge of vertigo overcome her as the very fabric of space and time bended around her and she was met with the sight of a cabin.

Piper's eyes flickered as she adjusted to her new surroundings. She instantly recognised the scent of holly, mistletoe and pine thick in the air as she took in her new sights. Three figures stood in the cabin with merriment written over their faces, as the spirit of the season drifted through the cabin. The first, a dark-haired man sat in a wooden back chair accompanied by the second figure a dark-haired woman with long dark chocolate locks. The third was a young girl who sat besides a tall evergreen tree, looking up at the little decoration that adorned the tree.

"Melinda," Piper began as she turned to her ancestor that stood besides her watching the scene. "Where are we and why are we watching these people?"

Melinda seemed somewhat amused at Piper's confusion. "We are in the past, this is my daughter, Prudence." The Halliwell Matriach explained.

Piper at once set her gaze on the woman dressed in an elegant gown, when she and her sister's had summoned Melinda Warren before, she had heard much about Melinda's daughter Prudence Warren. However, now she saw her ancestor sat inches away from her across the room. "Her husband, William Wentworth and their daughter Cassandra Warren." Piper just stared at her older sister's namesake, the two shared certain similarities and Piper seemed to be captivated by the scene before her.

Piper fell silent as she absorbed the scene before her. Cassandra's joy was written all over the young girl's face and her proud parents smiled content at their daughter's merriment. Piper's eyes trailed over the cabin as she noticed the occasional decoration and the leftovers of a feast.

"This is the tradition of Yule. One which celebrates our wiccan heritage and the bond of family." Melinda added. "The spirit of Yule is akin to the spirit of family."

Piper suddenly saw the whole scene in a whole new light, the fire burning in the centre of the cabin, the smiles of both Prudence and William as the young Cassandra enjoyed the festival. She had understood what Melinda had said and it all rung true. The Halliwells were all about family, they always had been even in Melinda's time. Piper assumed her ancestor could have saved herself but she had died so her daughter could live and so they all could live. Melinda had died not only so her daughter could live but also so the Warren prophecy could come to pass and the world would not fall into darkness. Maybe Yule was not as bad as she thought.

Another smile graced Melinda Warren's face as she sensed the understanding in her descendant. "You understand now – the importance of Yule not just as a celebration of what you are but as a celebration of where you come from."

"Yes." Piper replied slowly.

"Well, our time here is done. Blessed be, my daughter!" Melinda greeted Piper with another cheery smile before she waved a hand at the scene before her. Piper lost all sense of herself and once more was greeted with the feeling of vertigo in the pit of her stomach.

_**...**_

Piper's eyes flicked open as wiped at her eyes. She had just had one of the strangest dreams. Piper looked up somewhat disturbed by what she believed to have been a dream.A dream of dead ancestors, Melinda, Prudence, Cassandra Warren. Once again she sensed she was not alone and turned her attention to the podium.

Piper's mouth dropped in shock as she recognition and shocked crossed her face in one emotion. At the podium a raven-haired woman stood flicking through the Book of Shadows. Piper's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her before she rose quickly, blinking in disbelief.

"Prue!"


End file.
